There exist a multitude of accessories for loaders, bulldozers and the like that fulfil various purposes. A variety of simple buckets, scoops and so on are used in various contexts for moving materials, such as dirt, gravel and the like.
The mining industry in particular has developed a broad range of specialised loader accessories that are used above and below ground as required. These accessories are adapted for tasks required underground, which include not only lifting and transport of raw materials, but also transport and storage of equipment.
Due to the challenges of working underground, especially on low seam heights, low profile wheel loaders are favoured and built to purpose. As an example, the Eimco brand of wheel loaders is widely used in Australia and elsewhere.
Duckbills are one of the various fabricated loader accessories available, and are favoured for transport of general purpose goods. A duckbill generally consists of a tray of relatively extensive dimensions (for example, 2.5 m by 2.5 m), side walls, and a back wall in the form of a lifting plate, fitted with QDS (Quick Detach System) or RAS fixtures for fitting the duckbill to a loader. The loader arms or horns engage with the QDS or similar fixtures formed on the lifting plate to removably secure the duckbill to the loader.
Duckbills have proved useful in general service and their use has been favoured in many contexts beyond which their original design was envisaged.
There accordingly exists a need for improvements to duckbills that at least attempt to improve their utility for certain tasks, or at least provide a useful alternative to existing constructions.